Shuttle XPC SZ68R5

Keep The Volume Up said:
I am in the process of installing everything now. I plan on getting that Asetek cooler soon--I absolutely HATE PUSH PIN COOLERS :mad:
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Just curious if you have received / installed the Asetek cooler in your build?

Aside from hearing a loud whoosh of water flowing through the tubes for a couple seconds the very first time I powered it up, I can't hear any noise from the pump in mine...My temps are extremely low so I assume it's doing it's job (have the pump plugged into one of the fan headers on the mobo)

Pic for those interested in seeing how the Asetek 545LC looks installed:

photo%207A.JPG
 
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I haven't put mine in yet, probably this weekend. I see you went with the tubes coming off the waterblock facing the front. Any issues getting the drive carriage to fit back on?

JRM said:
Just curious if you have received / installed the Asetek cooler in your build?

Aside from hearing a loud whoosh of water flowing through the tubes for a couple seconds the very first time I powered it up, I can't hear any noise from the pump in mine...My temps are extremely low so I assume it's doing it's job (have the pump plugged into one of the fan headers on the mobo)

Pic for those interested in seeing how the Asetek 545LC looks installed:

photo%207A.JPG
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Omitted the drive carriage altogether as I'm not using a DVD drive in my build.

I was able to mount the 2.5" to 3.5" bracket that came with the Corsair SSD to the holes behind the front panel. No drilling necessary...the holes line up perfectly:

photo%203A.JPG
 
@JRM Nicely done!

I thought about going with an external ODD myself, but figured since the bay isn't really usable for anything else I will keep it as long as it is do-able. I'd like to see a side shot of that (from the left side).

Still have the ICE in mine, OC'd to 4.5 and running prime95 on it now.
Running prime95 @ stock with smartfan, cpu temps under load at 70-72c, with 50% fan, 65-67c
Running prime95 @ 4.5 with 50% fan, cpu temps under load 70-73c.

Just doing these now for comparison as I won't have time to do the asetek until this weekend.

I know, we need pics...
 
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uunut said:
@JRM Nicely done!

I thought about going with an external ODD myself, but figured since the bay isn't really usable for anything else I will keep it as long as it is do-able. I'd like to see a side shot of that (from the left side).
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As seen on Simon Maltby's review of this case:

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The drive cage fits if the in/out of the waterblock is turned at that angle.

uunut said:
Still have the ICE in mine, OC'd to 4.5 and running prime95 on it now.
Running prime95 @ stock with smartfan, cpu temps under load at 70-72c, with 50% fan, 65-67c
Running prime95 @ 4.5 with 50% fan, cpu temps under load 70-73c.
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Nice OC using the ICE cooler ... I have not OC'd mine, but ran 30 minutes or so of video encoding using all 4 cores, and reached those temps (70-72C).

I will OC mine now and see what it's like @ 4.5GHz. I will also take some pictures after I move this box up from under my desk, to behind my monitor.
 
Keep The Volume Up said:
Nice OC using the ICE cooler ... I have not OC'd mine, but ran 30 minutes or so of video encoding using all 4 cores, and reached those temps (70-72C).

I will OC mine now and see what it's like @ 4.5GHz. I will also take some pictures after I move this box up from under my desk, to behind my monitor.
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Actually now that I look back at my screenshots, it looks like cpu-z was only reporting 3.8ghz while I had prime95 running, even though I had the multiplier set to x46, wierd. I know I saw it hit 4.6ghz when windows did the performance test. Have to figure out what happened there??? Anywho, it's down now for the asetek install.

I wanted the side shot of JRM's setup to see if I could do the hoses that way with still using the drive bay. I expect I should go with the sideways configuration as the review did.
 
uunut said:
Actually now that I look back at my screenshots, it looks like cpu-z was only reporting 3.8ghz while I had prime95 running, even though I had the multiplier set to x46, wierd. I know I saw it hit 4.6ghz when windows did the performance test. Have to figure out what happened there??? Anywho, it's down now for the asetek install.

I wanted the side shot of JRM's setup to see if I could do the hoses that way with still using the drive bay. I expect I should go with the sideways configuration as the review did.
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Read my review... you will note that the machine is power limited in the Bios and will only deliver about 95w to the CPU. when you run prime at above stock the power needed exceeds 95w so it throttles back.

To fix this you need to modify the Bios file as Shuttle have not enabled the setting in the bios by default. There is a hidden setting for the maximum sustained power, I have mine set to 120w from 95w. The reason you see the overclock work under low load is because there is a short term power setting that is 125% of the 95w. So for short bursts it will exceed the 95w.

DSC05772.JPG


I have asked Shuttle to open this setting up but, so far, they have not done so... the only way to open it up is by modifying the Bios file... I have writen a guide to this on another forum.
 
simonmaltby said:
Read my review... you will note that the machine is power limited in the Bios and will only deliver about 95w to the CPU. when you run prime at above stock the power needed exceeds 95w so it throttles back.

To fix this you need to modify the Bios file as Shuttle have not enabled the setting in the bios by default. There is a hidden setting for the maximum sustained power, I have mine set to 120w from 95w. The reason you see the overclock work under low load is because there is a short term power setting that is 125% of the 95w. So for short bursts it will exceed the 95w.

I have asked Shuttle to open this setting up but, so far, they have not done so... the only way to open it up is by modifying the Bios file... I have writen a guide to this on another forum.
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Awesome, thanks for chiming in here. That's what I get for skimming the review instead of taking the time to read it in detail. Feel free to pm me the link to that if you do not feel comfortable posting it? Thanks!
 
I found the bios mod post on that other forum, thanks, I will do that as soon as I get the Asetek in.

On that note... guess I should have inventoried my parts before disassembling for the install. I did not get a locking ring (part K) with my cooler. I have my retention ring assembled, but... the instructions are a bit unclear to me. I assume the retention ring has to slide up from underneath the block/pump, but do I need to force it up until it goes over the tabs on the block? That looks like it's going to be a pretty serious shove. I can't imagine it would come down over the top as that would necessitate disassembly of the hose connection. If I read the instructions right (not a given) it looks like the "tabbed" end of the threaded inserts for the backplate face the mobo? This seems wierd as it would not really pull the backplate to the mobo? If this is the case is the backplate really necessary? Anyway, I will have time to play with it while I wait for the locking ring. I'll ping Asetek in the am.

On the wireless card, I found a screw that worked, M2x3mm. It might have been M2.5 threads, but that screw is holding and I am not going to mess with it. The hold for the antenna feed through needed just a little bit of reaming with a drill bit, though it probably could have been done with a round file. So I have an external 5db antenna to hook up to the main antenna connection, but I was only able to find leads that were 10" in length, so will be using an internal laptop style antenna with a longer lead on the aux antenna connection. I'll run the internal lead over to the power supply side while I have it disassebled, and tape it down. The main lead will have to wait until at least part of the reassembly is done before connecting to the card, due to the shortness of the lead.
 
Ok, so nix on the Asetek install problems. I need to quit trying to do this when I am sleep deprived. Asetek states the locking ring is optional and it is ok to go ahead, so I will.
 
uunut said:
Ok, so nix on the Asetek install problems. I need to quit trying to do this when I am sleep deprived. Asetek states the locking ring is optional and it is ok to go ahead, so I will.
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I hear ya on the sleep deprivation ;)
Looking forward to seeing pictures and hearing how everything is running. Also, if you have the link to @simonmalty's BIOS mod, PM me please. I plan on buying the Asetek cooler within the next week, but I need to PM the seller on eBay, as none are currently for sale.
 
@uunut

Any luck with the Asetek installation?

I messaged asetekparts on eBay. They said more Asetek 545LCs will be online within a week or so. That is when I'll grab one.

I already have ideas to notch the bottom of the drive cage to allow more room for the Asetek's in/outs.
 
I have the Asetek in. I need to run some tests to ensure it is working/seated correctly before I completely reassemble the unit. I have not fitted the drvive bay in, but i looks like it might go in. I was incorrect there was a locking ring with my 545lc, it was already attached to the retention ring. I think it is properly seated on the die, but am seeing the bios reporting 50c (it tends to report high) with the fan set to smart, and running at 1100rpm, so not entirely convinced. I may pull it back apart again so ensure.

You will want to get some #6 x 1 1/4" machine screws to attach the fan to the rad. x1.5" if you go with a replacement 32mm fan (I have one to test with later).

I left the fan as an exhaust to keep with the SHuttle's airflow design, however the Asetek instructions suggest making it an intake (as most wc units do).
"
 
uunut said:
You will want to get some #6 x 1 1/4" machine screws to attach the fan to the rad. x1.5" if you go with a replacement 32mm fan (I have one to test with later).
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Thanks for that info. I can hit up Ace Hardware for those specific screws once I receive my Asetek cooler.

uunut said:
Uploaded pics I have so far to photobuket,..

http://s1064.photobucket.com/albums/...20Rig%20Build/
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Thanks for the pics. Amazing that all of this hardware can fit into this SFF case :)
I'll keep everyone updated when I receive my Asetek and take pictures.
 
Ok, so don't trust the bios cpu temp reporting. Speedfan and HWMonitor report cpu idle temps at 25-27c with the Asetek installed. Now the trick will be getting everything back in there, stay tuned,

Informational, for now I am using the applied thermal paste that came with the Asetek, with the original shuttle 92mm fan attached
 
Looks like the Asetek 545LC is back up on fleabay, 7 available at this time.
 
uunut said:
Looks like the Asetek 545LC is back up on fleabay, 7 available at this time.
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I bought one last week from them for my upcoming Ivy Bridge build. It shipped by itself in an Antec 920 box without instructions or fans. I'm just glad to have it.
 
Keep The Volume Up said:
6 available. Just bought one.

@uunut: This cooler dropped 20C off your idle temps? I am excited so far.
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Glad you got one. Nonono, the temp report was 20c different between the bios and my windows software (speed fan and hwmonitor), with the Asetek installed.

Got everything put together last night (pics coming), but the adjustable doohickey for the odd button must have moved, so I have to take it back out to put it in the right spot so it triggers the odd tray. Really, I wished they just did standard front facing external bays on this chassis. I know some people think it looks cleaner, but, meh...

I will also be doing the bios mod as soon as everything tests solid after the reassemble.
 
uunut said:
Glad you got one. Nonono, the temp report was 20c different between the bios and my windows software (speed fan and hwmonitor), with the Asetek installed.

Got everything put together last night (pics coming), but the adjustable doohickey for the odd button must have moved, so I have to take it back out to put it in the right spot so it triggers the odd tray. Really, I wished they just did standard front facing external bays on this chassis. I know some people think it looks cleaner, but, meh...

I will also be doing the bios mod as soon as everything tests solid after the reassemble.
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I can also confirm that the bios is reporting cpu temps 20c higher than what's reported in Windows (CoreTemp) for me. Maybe Shuttle will release a fix via bios revision in the future?
 
I like your setup, but maybe you could hide the SSD behind the front panel, like this one.
scaled.php

It was an SG41J1 case, so I don't know the R5 front panel inside dimensions, but probably it can work as well.
Crazy idea would be to put a double radiator on the upper part to watercooling the HD7970 I'm not sure if the radiator and fans could be fit inside the case...
I'm thinking about a similiar config in the future but with Ivy Bridge i7 3770k (and maybe the SZ77R5 model) and another memory SSD and VGA (same ref 7970 but the Diamond one if I can find one)

# Keep The Volume Up: I use Total Commander and there is an Eject command on the DVD icon, you can use that as well.

General questinon: What do you think of possibilty of Ivy Bridge support?
It would be bad for SZ77R5 model, so why would Shuttle give support for SZ68R5?
After the Ivy Bridge support lots of people would rather buy SZ68R5 instead of Z77...
 
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I think Shuttle's lack of any mention of Ivy Bridge support for the SZ68R5, coupled with the eventual SZ77R5 release, would be a strong indication of "No". Hopefully they will surprise us.

Nice job on the SSD mount above, but if I was going to block the 3.5" external slot, I think I would have just done a 2x 2.5" drive external hot-swap unit. Right now my external 3.5 bay is empty, for future use maybe, but will probably stay that way. Actually, maybe this build already has some 3.5" drives in the drive bay and this was a good adaptation to also fit an SSD, works!

When I get the unit fully functional and at the OC sweetspot, I am going to tape over the holes in the 3.5 bay to see if it actually helps in air intake. Once I identify all the air intake characteristics, I will probably attach at least a minimal amount of dust filtering where needed. This is one area the Shuttle's are lacking in, though it's a small worry for me. I am still on the fence about modding the side of the case to allow the GPU to pull air directly from the outside. Right now that does not seem to be necessary.

Still haven't done the bios mod. I have this thing that keeps getting in my way, a job, and a rather demanding one at that. (Not complaining though, better than the alternative!)

Funny, I skipped buying the SG41 because it came with no heat pipe, and here I am ditching the heat pipe. They should have used the same one as they did in the SX58 unit, that I think was the tau of air cooling in a SFF. I still might get the latest version of the SX58 (H7-PRO?) as I have a 1366 cpu laying around, waiting for the eventual clearance sale.

The odd button is a pain, but if you fiddlewithit enough it works ok. I will probably use some type of software eject in everyday usage though.

Is all of this worth it to fit so much power into such a little package? Hell yeah!
 
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SQX_Barto said:
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg821/scaled.php?server=821&filename=shuttlesg41j1c.jpg&res=medium
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Cool mod for that SSD! I doubt it would work on the SZ68R5 due to the external bays. As far as Ivy Bridge support, that only works if Shuttle supports it with a BIOS release. Same for tweaking voltages.

My Asetek is confirmed "Out for Delivery" by USPS. I promise I'll take some pictures when I install it this weekend.
 
External bay only have a "hole" there, it should work I guess. But I don't own one :)
But it will block that part sadly...
There is not enough place to put that way to let free the 3,5" pace...
 
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I finally got the bios mod done using AMIBCP 4.53. Raised the Long Duration Power Limit to 120w, multiplier to 46 and voltage to +50 as Simon describes in his post @:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=21392360&postcount=62

(FLECOM gave me the ok to post that link)

With smartfan on and speedfan controlling, temps got pretty high @ 4.6ghz, running 72-78c with a couple of spikes to 80-81c, ouch, the fan rpm never went above 2300 :(

Been running it at 4.6g for an hour or more now, with the fan (2) set at MID, and seeing 67-72c with spikes to 78c with the fan running at 3100rpm. Not overly noisy, but certainly audibly noticable. This looks to be a pretty sweet OC spot and I will leave it there unless I run into problems with more comprehensive testing. Right now just running 4 instances of Prime95, one for each core and seeing sustained CPU @4.6ghz, no throttling, yea... Gonna let this run overnight.

FYI: I modified the 104 bios that I was already running and stuck with that, didn't want to run into the issue Simon did with the 105. Not using the RST anyway at this time.

I was hoping to find tweaks for the memory timings in AMIBCP, but didn't see anything that looked obviously the correct place to change, so I left it alone. Hopefully I, or someone else, can work this in the near future.

Not going to bother OCing the GPU in the near future, but I will run a Sandra benchmark tomorrow, and a 3dmark11 benchmark. Hopefully that will be a good accounting of the systems ability. 3dmark vantage would be nice too, just not sure I want to dump any more bucks into benchmark software hah. After that I will load up Skyrim and check that out and see what fps I get.

Updated picture and screenshots to come.
 
uunut said:
I finally got the bios mod done using AMIBCP 4.53. Raised the Long Duration Power Limit to 120w, multiplier to 46 and voltage to +50 as Simon describes in his post
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Good to hear that worked for you. I downloaded AMIBCP 4.53 the other day, tweaked the 1.05 BIOS, and then ran the SZ68R000.105_64.exe in the WIN folder to upgrade the BIOS. I did this twice (after saving the BIOS in AMIBCP) and I could not find the Long Power Duration setting in the BIOS? Either I cannot find how to get to the setting, or it is not there. Maybe this only works for a 2600K?

uunut said:
With smartfan on and speedfan controlling, temps got pretty high @ 4.6ghz, running 72-78c with a couple of spikes to 80-81c, ouch, the fan rpm never went above 2300 :(
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I am beginning to think that we need to upgrade our fan on the Asetek, similar to what JRM used on his (Scythe Kama 92mm PWM). I'd like to know what his temperatures are to confirm it is the stock fan.

I installed my Asetek and have it up and running. I did not install the drive tray yet, but I did mod it by cutting the bottom two HDD bays off. All it is now is the two side pieces that connect to the optical drive to hold it in place.

I need to run some benchmarks, but I know my fan is already the weakest link.

I'll show some pictures when I install the modded drive tray to show how it works in relation to the Asetek lines.
 
I wish Shuttle would stop using a traditional BIOS and instead, implement a UEFI on their XPCs
 
Synomenon said:
I wish Shuttle would stop using a traditional BIOS and instead, implement a UEFI on their XPCs
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I'm ok with a non UEFI bios myself, just wish they would put in some more granular OC and timing controls. Alot of people will be looking for new homes for their 2500k & 2600k SB cpus, and this platform rocks for that. I'd wait for the SZ77 if I was stuck on IB.

@Volume
I do have a 92x32mm fan I can swap in, but really do not want to take it apart again. I got the drive bay in (with some effort) whole, while working around the 7970 and Asetek 545lc.

If I was going to recommend this system to a friend who did not want to hassle with fitment so much, I would replace the video card with the EVGA 560ti 2gb. Easier fit being shorter and rear facing power connections.

Your issue with the bios mod is running the windows installer it already has the stock bios embedded with the installer. I used AMIBCP and saved to a different file name (SZ68R111.104) and used the dos installer after changing the filename in the batch file. Used a USB floppy to boot dos, then changed drive to my USB stick loaded with the batch file, dos flash app and modified bios file, done.

FYI, my USB3.0 raid box cannot be seen outside of windows, including doing a windows recovery disk for restore. Just moved it to the USB 2.0 port and it worked no problem.
 
Keep The Volume Up said:
Good to hear that worked for you. I downloaded AMIBCP 4.53 the other day, tweaked the 1.05 BIOS, and then ran the SZ68R000.105_64.exe in the WIN folder to upgrade the BIOS. I did this twice (after saving the BIOS in AMIBCP) and I could not find the Long Power Duration setting in the BIOS? Either I cannot find how to get to the setting, or it is not there. Maybe this only works for a 2600K?



I am beginning to think that we need to upgrade our fan on the Asetek, similar to what JRM used on his (Scythe Kama 92mm PWM). I'd like to know what his temperatures are to confirm it is the stock fan.

I installed my Asetek and have it up and running. I did not install the drive tray yet, but I did mod it by cutting the bottom two HDD bays off. All it is now is the two side pieces that connect to the optical drive to hold it in place.

I need to run some benchmarks, but I know my fan is already the weakest link.

I'll show some pictures when I install the modded drive tray to show how it works in relation to the Asetek lines.
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Ran Prime overnight (@ stock and w/fan set to MID mode in bios) and my cpu temps never exceeded 52c.

This bios mod sounds intriguing! May give it a shot this weekend...
 
I just completed the BIOS mod after a few headaches. Running Prime now, temps within a 68-75C range and with fan set to MID mode in the BIOS. CPU at 4.5 GHz ... but I am noticing with CPU-Z and other tools, the CPU mulitplier is only reading at 42. I'll recheck the BIOS again.

@JRM
How does your fan sound on MID mode? The stock fan sounds like an airplane.
 
Keep The Volume Up said:
I just completed the BIOS mod after a few headaches. Running Prime now, temps within a 68-75C range and with fan set to MID mode in the BIOS. CPU at 4.5 GHz ... but I am noticing with CPU-Z and other tools, the CPU mulitplier is only reading at 42. I'll recheck the BIOS again.

@JRM
How does your fan sound on MID mode? The stock fan sounds like an airplane.
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With the Scythe Kama fan on the Asetek cooler set to Low or Mid Mode in the bios it is EXTREMELY quiet...I highly recommend it!
 
JRM said:
With the Scythe Kama fan on the Asetek cooler set to Low or Mid Mode in the bios it is EXTREMELY quiet...I highly recommend it!
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When I am doing anything enough to ramp up the cpu fan (gaming) I am also ramping up the GPU fan, which is way louder, so cpu fan noise at load is kind of irrelevant for me. I fully expected the 7970 reference cooler to be fairly loud under load, so no surprise there. Reference cooler a must for this build as a DD would just dump hot air in the case.

Next time I take it apart I will probably swap the fan though, just not worth it (to me) at this point.
 
Does Shuttle or anyone else make a custom bag for these boxes to take them on the road?

BTW, great thread. Looking forward to some more pics and thoughts:)
 
dartworth said:
Does Shuttle or anyone else make a custom bag for these boxes to take them on the road?

BTW, great thread. Looking forward to some more pics and thoughts:)
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I have one for my older shuttles (they are smaller size), haven't seen one specifically for the R chassis yet. If the PF60 doesn't fit it, I'm sure they will have one before long.

Anyone good with airbrushing or appliques? I want mine to look like a 4 slot toaster, heh.
 
I'll throw this one up until I get a series of pictures on here.
This was after I installed the backplate behind the motherboard for the Asetek cooler.

IMG_0495c-2.jpg
 
Keep The Volume Up said:
I'll throw this one up until I get a series of pictures on here.
This was after I installed the backplate behind the motherboard for the Asetek cooler.
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Are you going with the thermal paste on the Asetek, or replacing it with something else?

Oh by the way, that wireless card i put in rocks. Had to look around for some antennas, but it worked out well.
 
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